As the czar of Colorado’s marijuana program, Barbara Brohl says she is neither pro- nor anti-pot.

But she believes the legal market for the drug is eating into the black market, funding drug abuse treatment and prevention and providing a safer product.

The roughly $200 million in tax revenue from more than $1 billion in sales last year funds all that, she says, plus provides $40 million for schools.

Brohl spoke Wednesday to a panel of Illinois lawmakers considering a proposal to make marijuana use legal in the state. While sponsors say the bill won’t get a vote this legislative session, they’re beginning a series of hearings on how to craft the law.

It’s legal for people over 21 in Colorado to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, which is readily available in dedicated shops throughout the state.

Colorado, she said, has three main marijuana guide posts when it come to policy making: preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors, preventing the involvement of criminal enterprises and preventing the diversion of legalized marijuana to other states.

Under the recreational law, Illinois residents could possess up to an ounce of pot and five plants. Nonresidents could possess half an ounce. The bill would impose a $50 per ounce tax on pot at the wholesale level, while sales to the public would be subject to the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax.

Businesses producing marijuana for sale would be bound by labeling requirements and marketing restrictions.

The revenue from marijuana sales would be earmarked for schools as well as treatment and education programs about the dangers of marijuana, alcohol and tobacco.

“Getting this out of the illegal market, taking some of those dealers off our streets, restricting access by youth, these are all really good reasons to do it, over and above the financial benefit,” said State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (IL-14), co-sponsor.

And the financial benefit could be huge: according to estimates, up to $700 million dollars in tax money if marijuana was legal in the state.

Legal marijuana is heavily taxed: There’s a 28% tax in Colorado and a 37% tax In Washington. In Oregon, the tax ranges between 17% and 20%, depending on the city and county. Growers, processors, retailers and buyers all pay taxes. Medical marijuana tends to be cheaper than recreational because it is taxed at a lower rate. In the past year, Colorado has received nearly $200 million in tax revenue from over $1 billion in marijuana sales. […]

“They shouldn’t be going to make illegal narcotics legal just to balance the budget,” said Chief Tom Weitzel, Riverside Police.

Well, they should also make it legal because people are sick and tired of the state locking people up in steel cages for using a plant.

An official from Colorado claimed legalization did not bring a big increase in the number of regular users.

“We have a healthy kids Colorado survey. We’re not seeing an increase or a change in youth use or even really adult use. There are some differences up and down throughout the years. But it’s not statistically significant,” said Barbara Brohl of the Colorado Department of Revenue.

As the nearly two-year-long budget stalemate leaves Illinois with little revenue, Steans and Cassidy said they see their bills as a way to create a new source of revenue for the state that would provide funding for schools and drug prevention and treatment programs.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Steans said. “Taxing legalized recreational marijuana would have a huge impact on the state both in the form of new revenue and in job creation. Last year alone, 18,000 jobs were created in Colorado due to the marijuana industry.”

The News-Democrat recently surveyed state representatives and senators from the metro-east, asking where they stand on the issue. Only three of them provided replies.

▪ Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo: “I am still undecided on the issue. I am carefully considering both sides of the argument.”

▪ Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon: “Medical marijuana, owned by lobbyists, became decriminalization last year, and now it’s legalizing pot for recreation under the guise of a budget solution. I will not lead Illinois on this radical path to exchange good sense and morality for pain, suffering and corruption.”

▪ Sen. Bill Haine, D-Alton: “Legalizing marijuana for recreational use is not something we should pursue at this time. The medical marijuana program is still unfolding and we need to fine-tune it before we can take the next step. I also don’t think this is where our time and energy needs to be spent right now. We need to be negotiating with the governor to get a balanced budget.”

Legalization makes so much sense it’s mind numbing when elected officials say they don’t support it. I will give some points to the elected officials who are honest about not supporting it for “moral reasons”. the ones who say we need more data are a cowards trying to avoid saying no so they don’t get criticized.

I smoked pot over 30 years ago and could polish off a ‘lid’ within a few weeks. I tried it a few months ago, and IMHO an ounce of legal pot (as opposed to ditch weed) is ALOT of high times. I cannot imagine how MMJ users go thru 6 ounces and retain a semblance of reality. But if it helps severe pain, good!
Also, as pot becomes mainstream, more and more people will grow there own, and income projections may be incorrect.

We all know that many cop shops and DEA get fat on the un-American asset forfeiture scam when it comes to weed, correct? They, along with criminals, have a financial interest in continuing the mindless Prohibition.

I am curious about what Colorado and other States have done about jobs that require drug testing? Even if marijuana is legalized by the State, can a employer still fire you for failing a drug test? What about employers with federal contracts that require drug testing?. How would an jobsite accident be handled if the employee had marijuana in thier system? Is there a threshold for what is an acceptable amount on the drug test?

“Under the recreational law, Illinois residents could possess up to an ounce of pot and five plants.”

Don’t people see the economic potential? Five plants per person means home growing supplies will be sold. That’s grow lights, soil, hydroponics, seeds, fertilizers, ducts, fans, chambers, etc. These sales are an addition to the economic growth that dispensaries will bring.

Also, responsible adult marijuana consumers should no longer be criminalized and stigmatized.

Legalization to me is a high-priority issue. I hope it’s a high-priority issue for the state, so that politicians who oppose legalization can be primaried wherever possible.

Poe’s Law — without a clear indicator of the author’s intent, it is impossible to create a parody of extreme views so obviously exaggerated that it cannot be mistaken by some readers or viewers as a sincere expression of the parodied views.

I commend the sponsors of this proposed legislation for their deliberative approach. There is much that Illinois can learn from the states that are in the process of regulated legalization and taxation. Not attempting to push this through one legislative term is wise.

A few questions/comments:
1. How does the possession of 1 oz. jive with the growing of up to 6 plants in Colorado, 3 of which can be mature? I assume that the yield from 3 plants can be several ounces. Some of Colorado’s laws are very dependent on self enforcement so if the laws are illogical or contradictory, how does this work?
2. Would Illinois residents growing a few plants self report and pay the state taxes on their own grows? If revenue is a chief goal of legalization, growing several years of supply from a few plants ain’t gonna be putting much jack in Springpatch.
3. How does Illinois keep the huge warehouse operations growing for the very limited medical marijuana market in Illinois from dominating any future recreational market?
4. How does the state regulate an industry that utilizes pesticides unlabeled for marijuana protect the consumers of its products? If the federal government and the chemical manufacturers do not cooperate in the testing and labeling process, how can the states? Buyer beware? (more incentive to grow your own)

I’m particularly curious since I’m wondering what objections could be mutually agreed as valid here. It seems to me nearly all of the disagreement traces back to factual claims, however influenced those may be by personal biases.

An important aspect of the Colorado experience that I haven’t seen mentioned here is the level of local control in Colorado.

Before a City or County (for unincorporated areas) can allow marijuana businesses to be opened within their borders, they have to have a ballot measure pass to allow it. Not all cities and counties allow marijuana businesses.

Cities and counties also have power over the number of licenses they’ll allow for different types of marijuana businesses (retail, manufacture of marijuana products, grow houses, etc). They have power over zoning, over operating hours, all sorts of stuff.

Most importantly, local governments can impose their own taxes on marijuana businesses (plus they share in the state revenues).

There are overarching state laws and regulations, but local governments also have power to regulate the business side of things.

The substance itself is legal statewide, but communities have power over how much of a presence it has in their community.

anon2 - legalization won’t keep marijuana entirely out of the hands of teens, but if the black market is crowded out by the legal market, it will become much more difficult for teens to get their hands on the substance. Black market dealers aren’t going to care how old a customer is, but a dispensary will, as they could suffer significant consequences for selling to an underage customer.

FormerParatrooper - In Colorado, when it comes to employment matters, I don’t think much of anything is different from how things are in most states. There was a court case involving a Medical Marijuana user who lost his job over a drug test, and the user lost his case. If you work in a drug free workplace and if it has testing, and you are subject to a test that shows marijuana in your system, then yes, you can lose your job.

I don’t partake, in part, for that very reason. While I’ve never been tested, there’s a first time for everything.

=== Also, as pot becomes mainstream, more and more people will grow there own, and income projections may be incorrect. ===

How much does brew your own beer at home kits eat into commercial sales? How much does growing your own carrots in your home garden eat into carrot sales at the grocery store? Probably not a lot. People have limits on time, technical skills, and startup costs — it’s easier just to go into a store and buy.

How could we even know? I seriously doubt reliable data on youth drinking is available from that era, and even if it were, it’d probably be loaded with confounders, given all the cultural, economic and technological changes. And how would we judge “well”? By what measures? What was it worth to push methanol and Jake out of the market? I sure hope someone has been collecting tons of good data in the legalizing states.

Understand, I’m not saying you’re wrong. I don’t know. But I do know that “just look at what X is like now!” is not particularly informative without context. And that’s if it’s even useful to compare youth consumption of booze and weed, which I think is also uncertain.

“They shouldn’t be going to make illegal narcotics legal just to balance the budget,” said Chief Tom Weitzel, Riverside Police.

Narcotics are all derivatives of the opium poppy, so unelected cop Tom Wetzel is living in an (opium) pipe dream if he thinks marijuana is a “narcotic.” (Cue the Dragnet theme music: Duh tu Duh, Duh tu Duh Duh Duh..) Or maybe that’s what it sounds like inside Wetzel’s cranium when he tries to think.

When is Illinois going to have a law that requires a minimum bachelor’s degree for police, so we can have some brainpower in the courtroom along with the lawyers, prosecutors, and judges making decisions about people’s lives?